


Hot Spring Holiday

by kyungp00



Category: Naruto
Genre: Fuinjutsu Theory, Getting Together, M/M, Post-Fourth Shinobi War, Waterbender! Iruka
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:34:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26596870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyungp00/pseuds/kyungp00
Summary: Iruka's visit to a hot spring results in new and unexpected abilities he must learn to control. With Kakashi's assistance to master his newfound powers, Iruka finds himself drawing ever closer to the other man.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Comments: 5
Kudos: 72





	1. Chapter 1

The week had passed with unbearable slowness; Iruka’s students had been as hyperactive and unrelenting with their pranks all week and he had been counting down the minutes to the weekend with ever increasing anticipation.

“I want every single one of you to know that in the future, when you’re all out there doing your best for Konoha, you may see or do things that frighten or scare you or hurt you without leaving a physical wound. And if you ever need somebody to talk to, I am here and will always be here to support my students. More importantly our medics understand how to treat this, and it is something all ninjas will go through and experience in their career, so please do not ever feel you cannot talk to anybody.”

The shrill of the school bell cut through his concluding sentences as the pre-genin scrambled in a flurry to put their notes in their bags.

“I guess that would conclude the end of our Shinobi Health unit. Please remember what we have learned over the week, and have a good weekend everybody!”

The students ran out the door, with a jumbled chorus of “Bye Iruka-Sensei!” and giggles as he stood and smiled fondly at their retreating backs. The tension left his body as the last student hastily stumbled out, and his thoughts wandered to his weekend plans.

Iruka had been working overtime for the last several months, taking up Mission Desk shifts after school and C-Rank missions on weekends. It was only right to ensure the operation of the Leaf Village continued to run and every able-bodied shinobi did their part following the end of the Fourth War.

Iruka, in particular, had thrown himself in his work to stave off the infrequent waves of fear and anxiety he felt recalling memories of the war; it was better to keep his mind occupied with the safety and comfort of reviewing and filing mission reports. He had worked tirelessly for six weeks straight, and had earned the next week off from active shinobi duty to do as he pleased.

As part of a series of new mandates labelled the “Shinobi Wellbeing Regulations” passed by the Sixth Hokage, post-mission protocol had been implemented to provide every ninja several compulsory free days after the completion of a set number of missions based on rank. This had been passed with unanimous support as not only was it one of the few proposals that Kakashi himself had offered as his own contribution during Council meetings, but also because war had reminded the Leaf Village the need for every shinobi to recover from not just their physical wounds and injured flesh, they needed to allow for a mental escape from the kind of injuries that back to back missions inflicted on the mind. For a village to operate, it needed healthy shinobi. For healthy shinobi to operate, they needed rest and time with their loved ones whom they dedicated life and limb to protecting.

For an experienced Chunin such as Iruka, a week of mandatory leave was required for every 3 weeks of active mission duty at an average of two missions per week. As an Academy instructor, he could only do missions on weekends, and it had taken a few more weeks to accumulate time off during the peak period of the Academy season.

As Iruka made his way home from the Academy, he debated internally as to where he should go in his time off. The “what” he should do had already been decided – a soak in the hot springs of his choice - but the location remained up for debate as he had quite a few favourite areas he frequented. There were the “Calming Valley” hot springs by the border of the Land of Sounds only half a day’s travel time, and the total cost of a week stay was very gentle on his wallet. This was because the hot springs were part of a franchise of “Calming Valley” spa and relaxation services dotted across the Land of Sound and Land of Fire as part of a family business, and as a result of their success many artificial hot springs were created with jutsu to cater to demand. Whilst Iruka enjoyed the accessibility of services they provided, and the effort put in to provide an authentic natural hot spring service, the effect the water left on his skin was never quite the same. Iruka also knew that the “Calming Valley” would be busy and frequented by tourists and travellers alike this time of the year. Whilst normally quite sociable and happy to sit amongst others, Iruka wrinkled his nose at the idea of having his time off disrupted by the noise and activity of others.

The other hot spring destination he had in mind was the “Restful Stream” hot spring located at the border of the Land of Rivers. This was a new one that had cropped up for business shortly before the Fourth War, and Iruka had only had the chance to visit once prior on a courier mission close to the area. It was a whole day’s worth of travel away and was quite far from any nearby villages, promising a greater chance of peace and quiet. Additionally, the surrounding area had some noteworthy waterfalls which Iruka had only been able to hear about second-hand from Anko, and was quite interested in seeing for himself. Apparently, ingesting the water gave a special “boost” to any ninjutsu performed for a short period. If he wanted to make the most of his time off at the “Restful Stream”, he would have to pack tonight and leave early first thing in the morning.

The setting sun cast an overhead blanket of oranges and pinks across the Leaf Village’s horizon. The market vendors cast long deep shadows across the street as they hurried to cover their stalls with canvas and load up the remainders of their goods in carts before the sun set and the market square became a busy hub for the night life. The air was buzzing with cheerful conversation, the citizens of the Leaf Village all eager to share their plans for the weekend.

So occupied with dodging the rush of the market place, his eyes focused on making sure he didn’t accidentally step on any of the ground stalls or trod on a prized lemon, Iruka didn’t immediately notice the figure lounging on a wall as he approached his apartment street. An arm shot out to grab his elbow, and he spun around to see who had touched him.

“I like your hair accessories, sensei.”

Kakashi’s voice was teasing as his eyes wandered up to Iruka’s head.

Iruka grabbed his hair tie and pulled it free from his hair. He shook his hair down, enjoying the release of tension from his scalp and the feeling of his hair settling across his shoulders. He combed it through with his fingers, catching several sprigs of rosemary escape with it and tucked it into his pocket before grinning with embarrassment at the other man.

“I knew my students were giggling a bit too much at the end of class today. I must have been really distracted today not to even notice them putting them there, but I’ll have to give them credit for this one. Also, did you really have to spook me like that?”

Kakashi stared at him for a second too long, letting Iruka’s question hang in the air. Iruka shifted uncomfortably under the older mans gaze, feeling a flush emerging at the prolonged eye contact. The wind blew his hair over his face, and at the back of his mind, Iruka noted that it had been a while since he had a haircut.

“…Yes, I did. As Hokage, it’s important to ensure the shinobi under my command stay vigilant to any and all threats, and to make sure their senses are sharpened enough so enemy shinobi cannot impede their persons with deadly herbs or citrus products. What do you have to say for yourself, given your shocking performance just now?”

Kakashi’s stern tone was undercut by a slight crinkle in the corner of his eye that Iruka recognised as what he called Kakashi’s “relaxed” face. Jumping at the chance to get back at the other man whilst his guard was down, Iruka performed a series of hand signs with the hand still in his pocket, clutching the dried herbs.

“Oh, my sincere apologies Hokage-sama. I acknowledge that as an active shinobi, I have let my guard down which is an unforgiveable transgression. I would accept any punishment you would deem necessary, but I think one should always ensure that a priest also practises what they preach.”

Iruka grinned as he directed his gaze towards the left breast of Kakashi’s Hokage coat. He held back a laugh at the noise of surprise Kakashi made, finding the same bits of dried rosemary sitting innocently in his own coat, the dark green of the plants staring out in contrast against the crisp white starch material of the coat.

“For the transgression of putting unauthorised objects in your Hokage’s pocket, your punishment is cooking me dinner tonight, and telling me how you did that without a sealing scroll.’’

“That is acceptable, but I have no clue what’s left in my fridge and you’re doing the dishes afterwards.”

“I look forward to your improved culinary creation of the evening, sensei.”

Kakashi grinned as he led the pair with significant speed towards Iruka’s apartment door, arm still clutching tightly to Iruka’s elbow. Iruka let himself be dragged home; his mind occupied as to what he could make with what was available in his fridge now that the market square had closed up early for the weekend. He tried his best to ignore how warm Kakashi’s hand was, even through the layers of his uniform.

Iruka’s door unlocked as it recognised his chakra approaching and he made his way to the kitchen as Kakashi flopped down unceremoniously into Iruka’s couch, scattering student essays and books alike onto the floor. Kakashi laughed to himself as he took off his mask and kicked off his shoes, aiming the landing into the large pot plant by the door.

“Kakashi, if you break any of the leaves on that plant, I will seal your eyebrows away in your sleep. That was a gift from the Yamanaka’s and is supposed to be a very rare and expensive plant! Treat it with the respect a rare and expensive plant deserves!” Iruka called out without much heat in his voice, recognising the familiar _thump-thump_ of Kakashi’s shoe antics every time he was at Iruka’s house.

“Oh sensei, please enlighten me on what such treatment would warrant to preserve the precious youth of this almighty plant!” Kakashi’s voice was pitched to imitate Rock Lee in fervent learning from the teachings of Might Guy and Iruka held back a chuckle at his impersonation. It was not often that Kakashi had the chance nor the company nowadays to let out this playful side of him.

“As if it were an important diplomat seeking audience with the Hokage for matters of the state!”

“Are you implying that throwing my shoes at diplomats is _not_ what I should have been doing all this time? It looks like I have a few apologies to make…”

Iruka had finished gathering an assortment of items from his pantry and was pleasantly surprised that he had enough to make a noodle stir fry with beef and an assortment of grilled vegetables.

“If you help wash and peel these vegetables, and we’ll be able to eat faster!”

Kakashi sprung off the couch as he entered the cosy kitchen space with Iruka, grabbing one of the many aprons that hung off one of the dinner chairs. They stood side by side against the counter, preparing the meal ingredients, and Iruka allowed himself a moment to bathe in the simple silence and shared domesticity between them.

The traitorous part of his mind that he could never quite crush down whispered the thoughts he never wanted to bring to light.

_This is what you dreamed of. Except it’s not real and will never be real._

Iruka’s hands trembled as he stirred in the black bean sauce into the noodles, his body tense as he tried to keep his treacherous brain at bay.

During the period Iruka had been under the Tsukuyomi, he had dreamed of his perfect life; one of domestic happiness and sharing a peaceful lifetime with the affections of his long-standing crush, Kakashi Hatake. His parents were alive and had been by his side throughout a happy childhood to watch him grow into a great ninja. He had dreamed of halcyon days, blissful afternoons and loving family dinners with his parents across the table, Kakashi on one side and Naruto on the other as his adopted son. He had dreamed a fulfilling life of leading the Ninja Academy and awaking his potential as a fuinjutsu master, a reknown expert of seals across the Land of Fire.

The reality that his heart cried out for was interrupted by the disappointment of his reality. He would never feel the loving embrace of his mother again, or have her brush his hair in the morning. He would never see the solid strength of his father again, or the tenderness in the way he had flipped pancakes for breakfast. He was working constantly and did not have any time, energy or advanced instructors within the Leaf Village to pursue research and training in the art of sealing. Naruto was growing up, becoming a man of his own and would soon have his own family to worry about. And Kakashi?

Kakashi had become one of his closest friends following the war. Their friendship was tentative after their public argument over Naruto’s Chunin exams, and strengthened after the older man had saved him during Pain’s attack. It had truly blossomed once Kakashi had been elected Hokage and Iruka found himself helping him out with the ceaseless paperwork and administrative functions of the office.

He had been aware at the time that Tsunade had him sitting on the Council for a reason, and realised later it was to train him as an assistant to the next Hokage in an informal capacity – a man like Kakashi would never have learned the depth and scale of the bureaucratic layers within the Leaf Village.

Countless meetings arguing over the details of trade contracts, pushing Kakashi to see underneath the underneath the meaning behind the unassuming paperwork sent his way and debating the ethics of proposals put forward to the Hokage for his signature had allowed Iruka to see the closely guarded side of a man that had been deeply damaged by his village as a living weapon, yet still retained the strength to keep giving and giving for others.

Refusing to let Kakashi to shoulder the burden of his title alone, late night office meetings turned to occasional late-night dinners and eventually to Iruka allowing the man to leech off his home cooked meals and turn his favourite couch into a second guest bed. A dozen “sleepovers” later, and Kakashi had stopped wearing his mask inside Iruka’s house, which was both a blessing and a curse as Iruka had felt himself sink ever deeper into the valley of unwanted feelings every time he gazed upon Kakashi’s bare face.

He did not know what convinced Kakashi to let somebody as unremarkable as himself into his life, but Iruka would not trade anything in the world to lose his friendship with the man. Iruka’s _feelings_ did not exist as far as he was concerned. He was certain Kakashi would never see another man in that way, judging by his unwavering devotion to the Icha Icha novels. He didn’t think he could bear to be rejected by Kakashi and have their friendship survive.

Kakashi nudged him gently, and Iruka felt his mind shift to the present. The noodles were done and the oven alarm was going off.

“Hey, Iruka. Are you okay? You were really still for a moment.” Kakashi gazed at Iruka, his concern written clear across his eyes and his mouth downturned in worry.

“No, I… I just had one of those bad memories that come from nowhere.” Iruka plastered a smile to his face as he forced himself to relax and lighten the tense mood. “I did not mean to worry you, just let myself get carried away for a moment there.”

Kakashi tentatively reached out to lay a hand on Iruka’s shoulder. “I understand, I get those too. But talk to me if it starts to get bad, okay? Promise me.”

“I promise. Come on, it’s time to eat now, the food will get cold.” Iruka attempted his best at what he felt was a reassuring smile. He turned to grab the plates and make his way to the living room. He felt Kakashi’s arm drop from its spot on his shoulder and he felt the loss of warmth immediately. “Grab the plum wine from cupboard, we can have a drink whilst we eat. Let’s watch that movie about the wolf princess you mentioned the other week.”

The two men made short work of the food and the bottle of plum wine Iruka had been saving. Pleasantly full, slightly buzzed from the alcohol and valiantly trying to fight off the food coma from consuming three straight bowls of noodles, Iruka let himself relax into the couch as his attention was captured by the movie Kakashi had recommended. The heroine’s fierce dedication to protecting the forest animals reminded him of Naruto’s own unwavering dedication to the protection of his own friends. It was with a touch of sadness, he noted, that he had not had the chance to spend meaningful time with Naruto for a long while, mostly due to both of their wildly busy schedules, and the fact Naruto was out on missions and not in the village most of the time.

To top it off, Naruto had begun training with Kakashi to prepare him for the handover of the Hokage title. He was so proud of how far Naruto had come from the lonely child outcast and despised by society, into the strongest shinobi of the Land of Fire with the adoration and support of the entire village. Yet, he could not help feel a pang of loss knowing that the boy he considered a son was now growing into a man who no longer needed the worrying of a school teacher.

Iruka turned to face Kakashi who had slid halfway down the couch in a sleepy tangle of limbs. Iruka cringed at the terrible back posture he bore witness to.

“How has Naruto been in his Hokage training these past months? Has he been keeping up with the schedule for handover of duties? How does he find it?”

Kakashi scrambled up onto the couch seat and drooped wearily as he gave thought to the question.

“In our sparring sessions and lessons on advanced battle tactics, Naruto is doing a great job. But he is struggling with the day to day work. He will be even worse at the paper work than me, and he won’t have somebody like you to rely on. At best, he’ll have Shikamaru Nara as an adviser to help him out.”

Iruka nodded, fully expecting an answer of the sorts. “Shikamaru has the brains to get them out of any diplomatic trouble. But Kakashi, as truthfully as you can, please answer the last question.”

Iruka searched for Kakashi’s gaze, and held eye contact with the other man. He took Kakashi’s hands into his own and squeezed gently, imploring for him to understand the meaning behind the question that was not stated.

_Will Naruto enjoy being the Hokage? Will it be everything he dreamed of?_

Kakashi shifted in his seat, his hands remaining rock still inside Iruka’s. His eye contact did not waver as he spoke in the lowest of tones, the hesitation in his voice apparent to Iruka’s keen ears.

“To be the future Seventh Hokage… will chain Naruto to an office and force him to make decisions harder than in even his most frightful of battles. Truthfully, I don’t know if being the Hokage is what will give him happiness. I only have endured it for this long because it was something I never wanted.” Kakashi gave a small sigh, the weariness in his body reflected in the shallow lines running across his forehead. The weight of the Hokage title was heavy even for the strongest of soldiers. “But Naruto would never shirk his duties to the title and in the long run… I do not know whether he can break the system and reshape it to something better or if it will break him in. I have not been a good teacher to him, unlike yourself, but I will do everything I can to support him.”

Kakashi’s admission was concluded with a tender smile directed at Iruka, leaving him breathless for a moment before the meaning of Kakashi’s words registered in his brain.

“You underestimate not only Naruto, but also yourself. If you cannot admit to being a good teacher, I will declare it for you. You have done well by him. It speaks volumes that you still care to look out for him. Don’t speak so disrespectfully about the Sixth Hokage in that way.” Hoping to lighten the mood, Iruka smiled and got to his feet, stretching out his arms to relieve the tightness in his body from having nestled into the couch for so long. He did not miss the way Kakashi’s eyes fixed on him and he dusted himself off self-consciously, checking that he had not dropped food on himself by accident.

“It’s beginning to get late and I wanted to check if you had intended to stay here for the night. Forgive me for not bringing this up earlier, but I have a week off from tomorrow and wanted to spend it at the hot springs by the Land of Rivers. I’m going to need to have an early night.”

“I’m well aware Sensei, I do in fact look over the leave reports you so graciously remind me to sign off every week.” Kakashi grinned, as Iruka flushed and recalled berating the other man earlier last month for not signing off on the reports on time. That day had culminated in a stressful evening hurrying around the Administration offices to get the shinobi leave pay finalised and a surprisingly enjoyable late-night dinner with Kakashi at a secluded diner.

Kakashi stood up from the couch and made to move towards the door. Iruka’s arm shot out and grabbed his sleeve before his mind could stop his treacherous body. “So, does that you’re not staying the night? Just to be clear, it was not my intention to imply that I needed you to leave now, I would more than appreciate your company tonight…”

Kakashi broke out into a wolfish grin as he leered at the other man. “My sensei, so keen for me to stay the night, are we? I can make time in my schedule if it means I get to provide the company you want in the comfort of your bed. You wouldn’t want to be a poor host and have your Hokage out on the couch alone, would you?”

Used to the other man’s constant teasing and outrageous flirtations taken from the pages of Icha Icha, Iruka gave Kakashi a look as he flicked the mans arm with enough intensity he knew would sting. Kakashi retracted his arm and laughed at the disgruntled expression on Iruka’s face. “I’ll stay over tonight then, as long as you’re okay with my presence around. I wouldn’t dream of keeping you wanting.”

Iruka nodded, trying to hide the smile of happiness that threatened to emerge on his face. The plum wine he had consumed earlier must have affected him more than he realised, as he felt the need to rise to the teasing and play along with Kakashi’s little game. Tucking his hair behind his ear, Iruka looked up at the other man through hooded lids and gave Kakashi a look that Anko had called his “Come Hither” eyes.

“Then I suggest you shower now whilst I preoccupy myself with packing. I expect you to be fresh and clean when you join me in my bed for the night.” Iruka turned and made his way to his bedroom, looking back through the curtain of his loose hair at Kakashi who had remained standing stock-still in the hallway.  
  


Deciding what to bring with him on his trip was relatively straight forward; standard uniform set and casual clothes for a week and several books on sealing theory to practice his skills in his moments of freedom. Iruka had scattered his book collection around him as he sat on the floor, ruminating over which books to take with him. Having picked up “ _Theory of Advanced Sealing Techniques: Weapons and Tags”,_ Iruka was side tracked in perusing the next chapter from where he had left off from the previous night, and did not notice his bedroom door opening as Kakashi padded inside.

“The bathroom is free now, sensei. I’ll go wash up the dishes.”

Iruka looked up from his book and his brain short-circuited. Kakashi stood shirtless over him, his sleeping pants hanging outrageously low on his hips, exposing chiselled obliques framing a trail of hair that curled down towards somewhere at his eye level.

“Thank-you Kakashi, I really appreciate your help.” Iruka jumped to his feet and grabbed his towel, all but fleeing the room, trying to hide the burning he felt on his cheeks.

Leaving the bathroom, Iruka grabbed a mug from the kitchen cupboard and filled it with water, trying to delay his return to his own bedroom. Iruka had not fully expected Kakashi’s jokes about sleeping in his bed to be taken seriously. The sight of the man settled in his bed was like something out of the false memories from the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Kakashi must have noticed Iruka’s hesitation as he turned around to face him, a guardedness in his matching grey eyes.

“If you have had a change of mind with the sleeping arrangement, I can move.”

“N-no, it’s fine. Please stay – this is what we agreed upon after all.” Wanting to cut the tension in the room, Iruka presented the water-filled mug to Kakashi with a wide grin. “One of students, Yui Inuzuka, gave me this “Pug Mug” last week. I thought you would like it as your designated mug in this house”. 

The mug’s sides were shaped with the contours of a pug, it’s cheerful face staring back at Kakashi. The tension in the room dissolved as Kakashi laughed at the unexpected offering and accepted the mug into his hands and placed it on the dresser on his side of the bed. “This is the best gift I have received all year, not counting Guy’s grand offer of my own custom-made green spandex suit to wear.”

“Did you accept the offer? Will you wear it to the next ceremonial event?”

Kakashi shuddered. “If my mental faculties are ever compromised enough to wear a green spandex suit, please lock me up in the ANBU cells.”

Chuckling at the mental image, Iruka climbed into the other side of the bed, and slid under the covers.

“I’ll set my alarm to 5am, is that okay with you?”

He heard a grunt of affirmation come from the other man in response. Settling further into the warmth of the blankets, Iruka closed his eyes and waited for sleep to claim him.


	2. Chapter 2

Iruka’s departure towards the Land of Rivers in the darkness of morning had been uneventful; Kakashi had left his house shortly after his morning alarm went off as Iruka was still sleepily trying to summon the energy to get out of bed. Kakashi was never much of a conversationalist in the mornings, but he had left coffee and toasted bread in the kitchen along with a hastily scrawled note in his atrocious handwriting – “Enjoy yourself!”. Iruka had carefully placed the note in his uniform breast pocket; he could never bring himself to throw out any of the silly notes Kakashi left for him. Iruka had not arranged for anybody to house sit during his absence, but had modified the wards as he was leaving to recognise Kakashi as an authorised visitor, just in case the man had needed to get something from his house. He left his own note taped to the door handle – “If you come in, please water the expensive plant”.

The journey to the “Restful Stream” hot springs followed well-travelled roads within the dense forests surrounding the Leaf Village for the first half of the journey, and Iruka had made quick progress sprinting through the worn paths, boosted by a low emittance of chakra from his heels. He had no reason to be afraid of an attack but shinobi instinct forced him to intermittently send out a pulse of chakra into the trees and confirm that he was alone when the chakra did not bounce off any human presence.

By mid-afternoon, the red speck that was the Hokage tower roof was no longer visible, and the glint of a deep blue thread in the horizon indicated that Iruka was approaching the border to the Land of Rivers. The density of the trees was no longer as thick, the forest floor decorated by a speckled motley of thick golden sunbeams and built up piles of leaves from the winter. Winter was always the most enjoyable time to visit the hot springs; the chill and frostiness of the air only served to make the warmth of the spring water more comfortable and inviting. Additionally, Iruka had no proof, but he always felt that the water was cleaner and crisper in the colder months.

The forest edge scattered into looser clusters of trees until Iruka emerged to a clearing on a small cliff overlooking the river lands of the nation’s border. The scenery laid before him was a peaceful site to behold; the lazy crawl of the streams tenderly caressed by the heavy branches of willow trees clinging to the banks. The gentle bubbling of the water running over pebbles, intertwined with the soft calls of the water birds dwelling in the bushes was a level of peace and tranquillity that Iruka rarely had the chance to enjoy in his day to day. His quiet moment of contemplation was interrupted as his stomach grumbled in protest and he realised that he had been so excited to reach his destination that he had not eaten for 6 hours.

Ambling over to a nearby log, Iruka sat down and pulled out the modest lunch from his pack he had prepared off the leftovers from the night before. He used a weak warming jutsu to heat his lunch up and salivated at the glistening sheen of black bean noodles, beef and broccoli. This meal was one of the more favoured dishes that Kakashi enjoyed. Iruka recalled that Kakashi had once asked him in the early stages of their friendship how Iruka maintained a figure that was surprisingly muscular for a Chunin school teacher. Whilst school teachers needed to maintain a high level of fitness to show the pre-genin how to perform specific moves and wrangle a herd of children all day, the job was still nowhere in the league of physical demands an active duty Jounin would have, yet looking at Iruka’s broad back and thick thighs one would presume a lifestyle of much greater intensity.

Iruka had not taken offense to the question, recognising it as a genuine question posed. He had long known that nutritional education was lacking or purposely ignored across all shinobi ranks; the number of Jounin he had recalled at the mission desk proudly boasting they had lived for several months off a diet of soldier pills and alcohol was an indication enough. The physical demands required for a Jounin had to be supplemented with a diet high in protein and healthy nutrients in order for the body to recover from injury. Soldier pills and chakra-forced healing was not a proper substitute to a well-rounded diet to enable a shinobi to keep mass on their body.

Kakashi was no exception to this; Iruka had spent enough time in the Hokage office to see what food Kakashi ate on a daily basis and it was alarmingly similar to what Naruto had eaten before Iruka had beaten the idea of healthy eating into the boy’s head. Iruka had offered that day to invite Kakashi over for home cooked meals he deemed to be “nutritionally adequate”. The poisonous part of his brain that sounded like Mizuki had accused him of “being delusional and playing housewife”, but every time Iruka had the pleasure of witnessing Kakashi happily devour a bowl of food he had made and then request seconds and thirds, he knew he would not stop until the day Kakashi had a real partner to cook for him.

Iruka had made excellent time, with the afternoon sun shining brightly overhead. He did not enjoy the feeling of fast travel on a full stomach, and pulled out one of his books he had packed to read and give his stomach time to digest. The book was on the topic of advanced sealing; one of the few gifts that Hiruzen had given to him in the year before his death. When Iruka had first received it, he knew instantly from the battered cover and aged yellow of the pages that it had come from the Third Hokage’s own personal collection of restricted books. The book was a painful reminder of Hiruzen’s passing that year, and it had lain unread in Iruka’s room until now.

_“Sealing chakra in living persons for the purposes of suppression has been in use since the times of the Sage of Six Paths, necessitated even more so by the creation of the Jinchuriki. The process behind sealing chakra inside a living person is a much more arduous affair combining not only the principles of fuinjutsu but also advanced chakra manipulation along chakra pathways and barrier ninjutsu. To demonstrate the complexities of sealing chakra within a person, below is presented a comparison of the process for sealing inanimate materials such as weapons into a scroll. This can be summarised into a straightforward sequence as follows:_

  * _Select the most appropriate “vessel” for the “object” to be sealed; in the scenario of an inanimate “object” with or without a chakra infusion (e.g. standard issue kunai or specialised Clan weapons infused by a Kekkei Genkai), any inanimate vessel with no infusion of chakra and sufficient space for sealing symbols will suffice._
  * _Identify the sealing properties of the “space” and “time” within the vessel; what contents will it hold, for how long will it be held and how will it be released when summoned?_
  * _Secure the “vessel” with the appropriate sequence of symbols as required to fulfil the properties identified for the purpose of the seal._



_The risks inherent should any of the above steps be performed incorrectly would be limited to damage only to the chosen “vessel” and “object” for sealing. Common examples include but are not limited to:_

  * _Where an inappropriate “vessel” is selected and is incompatible with the sealing purpose, then destruction of the chosen “vessel” is likely to occur._
  * _Where sealing properties are incorrectly identified before the “object” has been sealed into the vessel, then disappearance of the objects within the “vessel” is likely to occur for a temporary period until a space-time jutsu corrects imbalances within the “vessel”._
  * _Where the sealing symbols are not placed correctly and in accordance with functional patterns, then the release of the “object” from the “vessel” can be interrupted or non-operative and may require the use of brute force to break the sealing mechanism._



_In the case of the simplest of examples for sealing chakra inside oneself for the purpose of creating an emergency chakra reserve before a battle, the sequence of events to safely perform this are as follows:_

  * _Identify the quantity of chakra to be reserved within the “occupant” (the individual for whom the chakra reserve will be created), and determine the location of the most appropriate area within the chakra pathway to accommodate the excess chakra. The selected pathway is the designated “capacity” for the excess chakra to occupy. The stronger the reserve of chakra, the bigger the chakra pathway is required._
  * _Identify the sealing properties of the “space” and “time” within the chakra pathway “capacity”; what will the chakra be used for, for how long will it be held, and how will it be released when required for use?_
  * _Construct a “wall” using barrier jutsu to surround the “capacity” within the designated chakra pathway, and stop just prior to completion._
  * _The “occupant” must then fill up the “capacity” with the chakra to be reserved, in a controlled manner as to not damage the incomplete barrier jutsu. Should any spillage occur, or a spike in chakra release cause a reaction with the barrier and compromise its stability, then the “wall” must be safely removed and the previous step repeated._
  * _The completion of the “wall” is concluded with the incorporation of an appropriate seal to act as a “stopper” preventing the reserved chakra escaping the confines of its walls. The seal must harmonize with the properties of the barrier and remain stable in all scenarios of battle._



_Note: A useful mental image would be a sealed glass bottle of wine, where the cork is the seal used as the “stopper”. The use of a seal is required, rather than completing the full barrier around the reserved “capacity” is because a seal allows for controlled access and release of chakra. If reserved chakra was contained only by a full-circle barrier, the only method to access the reserved chakra would be via dissolution of the barrier, which would cause an uncontrollable spread of chakra across the “occupants” chakra pathways._

_Should any of the above steps be performed incorrectly, the use of reserved chakra under a compromised seal would cause catastrophic damage to the chakra pathways and physical body. With such an extensive series of steps required to safely perform a simple chakra seal, comes many variations behind the most efficient ways to condense and simplify the process, whilst also maximising the power and strength of the seals. The methodology behind sealing chakra inside a person has been contentiously disputed for many years amongst the most advanced practitioners of fuinjutsu within the Uzumaki clan._

_The purpose of this book is to delve into the intricacies of sealing chakra based on the principles of complimentary, adjacent and opposing nature releases first coined by Eiji Uzumaki, one of many esteemed Uzumaki Clan’s Honoured Sealing Masters during the Warring States Period. All subsequent references in this book will make reference to these principles as the “Nature Release Composition” sealing technique._

_The two primary principles underlying the foundations for the rules of “Nature Release Composition” sealing is briefly summarised as follows:_

  1. _Incorporation of the chakra’s nature element when performing a seal will always optimise the strength and efficiency of the process._
  2. _The nature of chakra subject to sealing will always result in a fluctuation (increase or decrease) in complimentary, adjacent or elements._



_The multitude of governing rules supporting the “Nature Release Composition” sealing techniques will be explored in detail in sequential chapters of this book. It is my hope that readers of this book will be able to utilise this technique to further the art of fuinjutsu and create the strongest of seals in protection of the Leaf Village from her enemies._

  * _Mito Uzumaki, Introduction: ‘Theorem of Chakra Sealing: Foundations of Nature Release Composition’_



The words penned by Mito Uzumaki, wife of the First Hokage and reknown seals expert cycled through Iruka’s mind as he continued his journey to the hot spring’s destination. Books containing advanced sealing techniques, especially ones that had come exclusively from the Uzumaki clan were extremely rare and valuable; their distribution almost non-existent. Were such a book to fall into the wrong hands could potentially mean providing the Leaf Village’s enemies with ammunition. An inexperienced person attempting the high-level sealing techniques within the book was also a sure-fire way to end in disastrous injuries. The book must have been written with the intent of being seen only by the eyes of those with the highest level of clearance within the Leaf Village. It was a mark of Hiruzen’s trust in Iruka and recognition of his budding skills in fuinjutsu to trust him with the knowledge contained in the book, and he deeply regretted not reading it sooner when the Third Hokage had still been alive to discuss it with.

The haphazard trail he had made through the river lands was intersected by a small path, and to Iruka’s delight, the wooden roof of the entry hut to the “Relaxing Stream” hot springs emerged into view. Framed by the heavy boughs of pine trees, the hut made for an inviting image of rest and relaxation. The smell of grilling meat wafted enticingly from visitor buildings past the entrance and Iruka spurned himself on faster to the entrance.

Swinging the door closed behind him, Iruka looked around at the reception area and was pleased to note that it was empty of other people save for the reception attendant filing her nails at her desk. Trying to slow his breathing down to hide that he had sprinted to the door and was completely out of breath, Iruka approached the attendant.

“Good evening! I would like to stay at the establishment for a total of six nights, please.”

“Of course, sir, that would be three thousand ryo for a stay of six nights. Did you require any of the additional packages on offer?” The attendant gestured to the stand perched on the desk, detailing a host of packages. Iruka scanned the list for a moment and decided that although the idea of daily massages and buffet dinner was appealing, it ultimately was not necessary – and would have blown through his budget.

“No thank you, I’m happy with just the standard package.” He placed a small pile of coins onto the desk, neatly stacked for the attendant to scoop it all up into her palm.

“Very well. Please fill in your details, and make your way to the vacant room 2A in the second building down the path. Here is the key. The door should be clearly marked, but if you have any questions please feel free to ask me if you require a tour of the premises. Enjoy your stay here at the Restful Stream establishment!”

Iruka took the room key from the attendant and with a renewed spring in his step, made his way to his new residence for the week. Leaving the reception area into the outdoors, the soft smell of sulphur from the hot springs tickled at his nose. The path to visitor residences was lined with young jasmine trees, the smell of the trees sweet and smoothing. The sun had already set, and the sky shone with the twinkle of stars blanketing Iruka’s vision. Being so far away from large villages, there was no light pollution and to Iruka, it felt as if he had every sense heightened.

His room was a comfortable size; a living area with plain furnishing, a kitchenette and separate partitions for the bathroom and bedroom respectively. It smelled freshly cleaned; which was more than Iruka could say for many of the Leaf Villages safe houses he had stayed in during missions, and had a scenic view of the forest behind the hot springs. Placing his bag on the dining table, Iruka decided his plan for the evening was to soak off the days travel fatigue in one of the smaller springs and have dinner afterwards.

The spray of the water in the showers was cold and icy, erupting goosebumps to his skin. Iruka watched with satisfaction as the grime and dust from the days travel was washed away with the soap suds. Stepping out of the showering facilities, Iruka surveyed for the closest hot spring cluster to his room. At this time of night, few visitors were out and he had the luxury of relaxing for an hour of solitude before the attendants would usher everybody back indoors for maintenance and cleaning. Making his way over to the hot spring edge where a bench stood, he unwrapped the thick, starch white towel from his waist and placed it neatly on the bench. Entering the water felt like meeting the warm embrace of a watery lover, and Iruka let a moan of contentment release from his mouth as his sore muscles were slowly submerged. Various herb sachets had been placed in the water to mingle with the steam from the hot water; Iruka inhaled deeply and felt as if the steam were breathing fresh life into his lungs.

Before long, the familiar tingle in his body began as he felt his water-oriented chakra respond happily to the hot spring water. The small scrapes, muscles aches and niggles he had acquired from teaching the hyperactive pre-genin at the Academy would always accumulate over time as the semester passed. Iruka’s regular visits to hot springs began shortly after his first semester as an assistant at the Academy. Mizuki had dragged him to a bath house just outside the Forest of Death as a dare during the night, as the venue was known to be unofficially reserved only for Jounin. He recalled the sense of mild discomfort with the way Mizuki’s eyes had crawled all over his body as they sat together in the water, how the other man sat too close, and kept “accidentally” brushing against Iruka.

Thankfully, Anko had burst into the bathhouse before Iruka needed to have a very awkward conversation with Mizuki about not coming onto other men whilst one had a committed live-in girlfriend. As par the course of Mizuki’s nature whenever he was confronted with somebody stronger than him, he had made a weak excuse and had fled, leaving Iruka alone to bargain with Anko to let him sit in peace for another hour if he bought her silence. The wallet-crushing price of a week of expensive dango from the fancy dango store was worth the pure bliss he felt as he made his way home, the tiredness and fatigue in his body all but gone.

That had been the beginning of his frequent visits to the hot springs and bath houses dotted around the Land of Fire and also the last time he had hung out alone with Mizuki before the incident where the man decided to embed a fuma-shuriken in his spine. The chakra response was always stronger in water sourced from natural outdoor hot springs, but the Land of Fire was quite limited in those being a landlocked nation. Besides, Iruka knew no Hokage would permit a prized Academy teacher to leave the country alone for the sake of going to a hot spring. He had never told anybody about the reaction between the water and his chakra; it did not seem significant enough to warrant any formal investigation and with his parent’s dead, there was little information he could provide.

Iruka’s water-oriented chakra had come from his father, Ikkaku Umino. He had only learned to perform Fire Release to connect with his mother despite it being of the opposing chakra nature. His father had been the one to choose his name “Iruka”, saying that the men of his ancestors were always given the name of an animal from the ocean. “Ikkaku”, meaning “narwhal” was strong and aggressive in his mastery of water-justu just like his name sake. What little else he knew of his father’s background was that his father’s family had come from a cold, frozen land even beyond the Land of Whirling Pool, and had migrated to the Land of Fire during the Third Shinobi War. His parents had not kept any kind of records of their families in his childhood home and following the attack of the Nine-Tailed Fox, none of it would have remained in the wreckages and dust that remained after everything had burned to ash.

“Excuse me sir, but we will begin our end of day procedures in fifteen minutes.” The reception attendant stood a few metres away from the hot spring, waving her hand to get his attention.

Stirred from his reverie, Iruka waved a hand back in acknowledgement. “My apologies, I completely lost track of time. I will finish up shortly and make my way back to the room.”

She nodded and turned back towards the entry building, giving Iruka a moment of privacy as he hauled his naked body to the bench with a groan. Rewrapping his towel around his waist, he hurriedly made his way back to his room, shivering at the sudden change from the warmth of the water to the frigid, cold air of the night.

Iruka was pleasantly surprised that the central heating had been turned on and hurriedly dressed in his sleepwear. Grabbing his pack from the dining table, he pulled out the dinner he had packed earlier in the morning; glazed miso salmon with sweet potato and broccoli. Hunting around for cutlery in the kitchenette, Iruka stumbled across half a dozen courtesy packets of instant ramen stored next to the hot water tap. He gazed appraisingly at the packaging - “Kabatami Gold Ramen – Local favourite of the Kabatami Gold Miners”. This was not a brand that was easy to find in stores within the Land of Fire, as it was produced in the Land of Rivers.

Iruka grabbed a small bowl, emptied the contents of the ramen packet into it and filled it with hot water. Before long, the smell of the spicy broth filled the room as he stirred the bowl and took a small sip. It was rich and had the strong taste of seaweed to the broth, which he found very pleasant. Iruka grabbed two more of the ramen packets and made his way back to the dining table where the rest of his dinner awaited. The food was set aside to make space on the table, and Iruka pulled out a few sheets of paper from his back pack.

It was common courtesy to inform the head of your reporting line that you had made a safe arrival when leaving the secure walls of the Leaf Village, and Iruka was not one to leave the information of his location unknown to his superiors. Addressing one sheet to the Academy Headmaster, he hastily printed out the timing of his arrival and signed it with his chakra signature: “Arrived at destination 8:00pm, no incidents reported.” Pulling out a second sheet, he left the addressee blank as he wrote his message: “Dearest Freeloader, try this instant ramen. It’s got a seaweed broth which I think you would like. Give the other packet to the orange one, and send my regards.” Leaving the second letter unsigned with chakra, Iruka taped the extra two ramen packets together with the letter, and bit his thumb to draw the blood necessary to call for the standard Academy Rabbit Summon provisioned to all Academy teachers.

Per the official Academy Summons policy, the Academy Rabbit Summons could only be keyed into the chakra of the Academy Headmaster as the authorised recipient. Iruka had once, out of complete curiosity, inspected the seals on his Rabbit summon used to enforce this. Whoever had placed the seals had placed the same generic seal pattern on all the Academy Rabbits instead of an individualised seal as Summons were distributed to teachers. This meant that to anybody with an experienced eye, it was clear to see that the seal was designed with the purpose to permit Academy Teachers to only deliver to the Headmaster, and the Headmaster only to the Hokage. However, whereby from laziness or ignorance, the symbols had not separated the relationship between the Academy Teachers and the Hokage to prevent a bypass of the Headmaster. Iruka had deduced that it was therefore possible to take advantage of the seal in such a manner that if he wrote a letter addressed for the Headmaster and signed it with his chakra , and wrote a second letter but kept it unsigned, the Rabbit Summons would automatically take the unsigned letters to the next authority within the seals chain of command – the Hokage.

With a small *poof*, the small rabbit appeared on his dining table, one hind foot embedded into his dinner box. It hopped around on the table, leaving a little sticky trail of rice as Iruka tied his letters to the rabbit’s back.

“Please give the top letter to the Headmaster, and the bottom letter to the Hokage.” Iruka gave the summon a gentle pat on the back and made a sequence of hand signs. The rabbit wrinkled its ears at him before disappearing with another *puff*. With his evening obligations finally completed, Iruka turned to his dinner and ate furiously until he felt fit to burst. He would need plenty of energy for what he had planned for tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All fuinjutsu theory contained in this chapter is completely made up, but I had a lot of fun taking liberties with how fuinjutsu works. Let me know if anybody is interested in more excerpts from the writings of Mito Uzumaki. Next chapter will be much more action packed :)


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